🔗 Share this article

Could those early viewers who chuckled through the initial SpongeBob adventures have predicted the franchise enduring for a 25 years, following experiencing the most surreal of narrative twists? Such staying power is in part attributed to its wide-ranging appeal, tickling the sense of humor of grown-ups – perhaps even those now grown students – alongside the youngest viewers. While it can't claim anything quite as unexpected as the legendary David Hasselhoff appearance in the 2004 movie, this latest movie thinks nothing of making a veteran voice actor speak as a pirate while handing out payments to stars like Barbra Streisand. This proves anything remains possible in the whimsical world of Bikini Bottom.

An Established Zany Groove

Kicking off with a festive short starring Paramount's other long-running babysitters, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the latest SpongeBob film quickly settles into a comfortably goofy groove. Its storyline serves as a family-friendly exploration on the pros and cons of growing up. This iteration of SpongeBob (again voiced by Tom Kenny) now measures 36 clams high, a detail that thrills him as it finally allows him to experience his dream rollercoaster. (An early, psychedelic gag: our enthusiastic hero's imagined loop-the-loops.) However, as in the best contemporary American cartoons, the true rollercoaster is the twisting narrative.

The Quest for Swashbuckling Proof

SpongeBob's quest to obtain the fabled pirate license that will declare him a “big guy” leads him into a showdown with the spectral Flying Dutchman, brought to life by the currently ubiquitous Mark Hamill. While the Dutchman's ship introduces a larger scale, the movie's visual style remains a delightful bricolage of digimation and hand-turned components, forever highlighting pleasing, properly cartoonish visuals.

Whether its spitballing silliness will linger when the lights come up is debatable, but it's a strong SpongeBob movie.

Memorable scenes feature SpongeBob wedging himself into an air conditioner and emerging inexplicably more rectangular than ever; a cameo from a pair of chattering joke-shop false teeth; and a punishment guaranteed to resonate with the younger audience: our hero being forced into never-ending dishwashing.

The Verdict

In the end, Search for SquarePants is a solid addition to the series – and perhaps the funniest pirate-themed movie in years, encompassing a robust Davy Jones gag and a saltily innuendo-laden saying for SpongeBob's pal Patrick: “The best guys are big guys.” It's certain: those early fans will probably be snickering anew.

Coming to Theaters: The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants debuts on December 19th in the US, December 20th in Ireland, and December 26th in Australia and the UK.